Spinel: The Hidden Gem in the Jewellery World

Spinel is a gemstone that is not well known by the public despite its beauty and wide range of interesting colours. It's a stone that is one of the earliest stones discovered by man but, also not at the same time as early civilisations thought they were rubies and weren't differentiated until 1783. The biggest culprit of this is the Black Prince's Ruby, which adorns the Imperial State Crown and one of the Crown Jewels and is in fact a Spinel!

Spinel, on the Mohs hardness scale sports an 8 which is comparable to Topaz and is considered quite hard and ready for everyday wear. Its colour range is also quite large, being able to be various shades of reds, purples, blues, black and even green! 

As a stone to consider for your next piece, it is a perfect choice if you're looking for something like sapphire or ruby but aren't ready just yet to pay the sapphire and ruby prices. It is a stone that is very near and dear to the hearts of all of us at McLean & Co and we want it to get more attention in the jewellery world. If you love it as much as we do, feel free to contact us or book an appointment to make a custom piece with your very own spinel.